Little Red
by Shahrezad1
Summary: When Rumpelstiltskin summons the storm, more than just magic is unleashed. Torn from her grandmother's side, Red/Ruby is launched into the arms of another's comfort as her mind plays out all her sins. Ruby/Archie K For mention of death. One-shot.


Little Red

By Shahrezad1

Summary: When Rumpelstiltskin summons the storm, more than just magic is unleashed. Torn from her grandmother's side, Red/Ruby is launched into the arms of another's comfort as her mind plays out all her sins. Red-Ruby/Jiminy-Archie

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She was torn away from her grandmother as the wave of purple washed over them, malevolent and dark. It pulled at her clothing, grabbing snatches of shawl and shirt, whirling her around in a tangle of misdirection and chaos until, finally, she was launched into something solid. Gasping, she grasped at it as though it was an anchor, digging her fingers into folds of stiff cloth and holding tight to something her mind distantly supplied as being a loosened tie.

And still she cried. Cried as the shock of magic caused memories to wash over her in painful, horrific waves. Feeling what had been hidden within her all along come alive once more. A remembrance of her sins and follies; the realization of just how much her innocence had been lost and the cost of it all.

"He's gone! He's gone and I killed him!" she howled in anguish, over the bitter shrieks of magic in its most wicked form. The stranger she'd been thrown into said nothing that she could hear over the wind, but only gripped her tighter. Two individuals lost in what could only be termed as the pit of the underworld. Who could have loosed such a beast? Part of her mind whispered the question, but the other half was caught in flashbacks of blood and tooth and cursed moons.

When it all finally stopped she could barely stand, whispering out her sins in desperation as a set of long fingers stroked her hair. Somehow in the heave of fear whipping around them she'd dropped the tie and wrapped her hand around his neck hard enough to surely have drawn blood, fingertips burrowed into short, curly hair. And gulping out desperate breaths of air, she found her head tucked within the notch of a steady shoulder, the slightest brush of whiskers against her cheek.

"It…it's my fault. It's all my fault," she muttered as though it was a protective mantra, throat hoarse and tears sticky, "I killed him. I should have never gone out into the forest. It's all my fault. I deserve to die…"

"No you don't," a careful voice whispered, one arm wrapped around her waist to brace her up and the other still running itself through her long, dark hair, "you didn't know. It's not your fault, and you didn't intend for him to die. It was all just an accident. There's no one to blame. Sometimes bad things just happen."

"No!" she sobbed, in torment, "it was me! I did it!"

"We all make mistakes, Ru-Red!" her savior shouted back, his voice cracking as well before settling down, "the best we can do is try and make recompense. That's all any of us can do. Please, stop blaming yourself. You're so much stronger than you think you are…I…we…there are bigger things to worry about right now. You can face those fears tomorrow. For now, though…just remember that you're forgiven. He would have forgiven you if given the chance. Please, Red, let it go. Just let it go."

_He would have forgiven you if given the chance._

The sentence somehow broke through the haze of her sorrow, and the girl who was both Ruby and Red cracked open her eyes to gaze around her and over the man's shoulder she was still gripping. Violet mist still pervaded streets, _like a fog machine gone crazy_, her modern mind supplied. But it was slowly dissipating. And with it went the horror of remembering, those feelings slowly getting tucked away for a later moment and a later cry. Red, the stronger of the two women, knew what had to be done and knew the danger that they were in. If magic _had_ returned to the land—to _Storybrooke_, then they were in a world of trouble. Both for herself and others. It was time to calm down and take the matter in hand.

Realizing that she still didn't know who was holding her, she drew back with a slow measure of wariness. Meeting broken glasses and a benevolent gaze. Red didn't recognize him, but Ruby did.

"…Archie?"

He smiled, ironically, and tucked a strand of long hair behind her ear. Sending a surprising zing through her form and eliciting a shocked gasp.

"It's Jiminy, actually."

"_The grasshopper?_"

Sure, the voice matched now that she thought about it, but she never would have guessed…

"The very one. Although it's more cricket...than grasshopper."

They stood that way for several more minutes, merely staring at one another. Until she realized just how close they were, arms around one another and form pulled close to form. Their breath mingled and her hand was still wrapped around his neck. And she realized with a start that she'd started curling her fingers in his hair, whirling them around her nail's tips. Her face abruptly flushed the color of her highlights then physically withdrew. Searching for the leopard-print cover she'd lost in the storm as a way to dodge his eyes.

"I should go find my grandmother. She's probably worried that something happened to me."

"It _was _quite a storm," Archie—No! _Jiminy_ remarked, and there was something in his eyes that she wasn't quite sure she liked or disliked. It was both curiosity and fascination and…something akin to wonder. And a certain darkness, like mysteries and secrets hidden in the deep. Red wondered what kind of secrets a 'living conscience' could even keep, and the idea of figuring them out sounded suddenly…appetizing.

The woman turned to leave, but not before looking back one last time. He remained in the same spot, having retrieved his umbrella before rising from a crouch.

And as she turned back around Ruby couldn't help but find herself thinking that perhaps she wouldn't mind if he never returned to his former insect form….

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AN: I'll admit it, this is an impossible ship. But I really like it, especially after the trauma that they've both made. They both lost their innocence in a way that was horrific and traumatizing, and both have spent the rest of their lives trying to make up for it. It's time that they deserve some happiness, in my opinion. Especially now that Red grew up a little. XD Love her to death, but I'm really glad that she didn't decide to go off chasing lemurs.


End file.
